By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
The House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the performance and financial returns of concessionaire-operated ports has issued a final warning to key government agencies, threatening to invoke its constitutional powers to compel their appearance.
The Committee specifically called out the Chief Executives of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for their failure to honour previous invitations. In a strongly worded statement, the panel gave them a “last chance” to submit themselves for questioning, stating that they would “have themselves to blame” for any consequent actions if they continue to default.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the Committee’s Chairman, Mr. Kolawale Akinlayo, expressed deep frustration over the obstruction by some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). He warned that this lack of cooperation, particularly the failure to submit required documents, is severely hampering the committee’s work and threatens its ability to complete its assignment.
The Ad-Hoc Committee was inaugurated on February 3, 2026, by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, with a sweeping mandate to scrutinise Nigeria’s public asset concessions. Its extensive terms of reference include examining the terms and conditions of concession agreements signed between 2006 and 2025, as well as assessing the revenue flows, remittances, and all financial benefits accruing to the Federal Government.
The panel is also tasked with reviewing the compliance of concessionaires with their contractual, regulatory, and safety obligations, while appraising the impact of these agreements on infrastructural development, operational efficiency, service quality, and labour conditions.
Furthermore, the committee is charged with identifying challenges, gaps, and systemic weaknesses within the concession framework, with the ultimate goal of formulating clear, practicable recommendations to improve policy and legislation for future concession arrangements.
According to Mr. Akinlayo, the committee was constituted “in response to growing national concern over the management, performance, transparency, and value outcomes of concession arrangements governing some of Nigeria’s most strategic public assets.” He emphasised that “these assets—our seaports, airports, terminals, and jetties—are not ordinary commercial facilities; they are sovereign economic gateways, national security infrastructure, and critical enablers of trade, mobility, and development.”
He stated that the committee has, since its inception, approached its mandate with “the highest sense of duty, responsibility, professionalism, and commitment to the national interest,” adding that they have been “transparent and very democratic” in their exercise of power while restraining themselves from high-handedness. “Unfortunately,”
Mr. Akinlayo continued, “more than one month into this onerous assignment, we have been faced with the daunting challenge of compelling relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the Federal Government to appear and provide the necessary information to enable the committee to complete its work within the stipulated time.”
While acknowledging that some stakeholders have been cooperative, he made it clear that the panel would no longer tolerate delays and would use all constitutional means at its disposal to ensure full compliance from all parties involved in the probe.
